Wizards, Bulls Discussed Deng, No. 3 Pick
1:56pm: A source tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post that the Wizards have no intention of trading the No. 3 pick for Deng, so it appears these discussions are unlikely to get too far past the "exploratory" stage.
12:46pm: The Wizards and Bulls have engaged in "exploratory talks" about the possibility of a Luol Deng trade, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Stein reports that if the discussions were to become more serious, the most likely construction for a deal would involve the Bulls receiving the No. 3 pick and Emeka Okafor, for salary-matching purposes.
Stein cautions that the talks may simply be a way for the Bulls to gauge the value of Deng, and adds that the Cavaliers are reported to have interest in the Chicago forward as well. According to Stein, more potential trade partners figure to surface if the Bulls convey they're seriously entertaining the idea of moving Deng.
In the hypothetical deal between the Wizards and Bulls proposed by Stein, the Bulls would add a little salary to the books for 2013/14 and beyond. Okafor ($14.49MM) will slightly out-earn Deng ($14.28MM) next season, and the starting salary for the No. 3 overall pick would likely exceed $4MM. Both Okafor and Deng are scheduled to come off the books in the summer of 2014, while the 2013 third overall pick would continue playing under a rookie-scale contract through 2017, if all his team options were exercised.
Various reports have indicated over the last few weeks that the Wizards are expected to choose between Otto Porter and Anthony Bennett, if they keep the No. 3 pick and both players are available. Porter projects to be the top small forward in the draft class, while Bennett could also play at the three if needed, but Deng would represent a more immediate and significant upgrade at the position.
Odds & Ends: Kobe, LeBron, Rivers, Roy, Mavs
We covered many of the pertinent points from Sam Amico's latest NBA report at FOX Sports Ohio earlier today in a post that rounded up today's Cavs rumors. But Amico's piece also features a few more notable tidbits, including word of the Blazers exploring moving up in the draft, the Bucks preparing to make a splash, and league executives beginning to believe Dwight Howard will sign with the Rockets. In addition to Amico's notes, we're hearing plenty of news and rumors from around the league, with the draft just three days away, so let's dive in….
- Although Kobe Bryant has talked in the past about possibly retiring when his current contract ends in 2014, he recently said on Brazilian television that he could see himself playing for "another three or four years." Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times has the details and a link to the video clip.
- A year from now, we could be looking forward to a sequel to The Decision, as LeBron James decides whether to exercise the 2014 opt-out in his contract with the Heat. For now though, LeBron tells CNN's Rachel Nichols that he hasn't thought about potential free agency, and will address it when the time comes (link via Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel).
- A source tells TNT's David Aldridge that Doc Rivers will have more say in the Clippers' basketball decisions than he did for the Celtics.
- While he stopped short of officially declaring his NBA career over, Brandon Roy acknowledged to ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton that it's no secret his basketball days are "numbered" (Twitter links).
- With Chris Paul seemingly on track to re-sign with the Clippers, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes that the Mavericks will have to move on to their Plan B at point guard, and identifies a few possible targets.
Cavs Rumors: Marion, Pierce, Varejao, Deng, Clark
Armed with four of the top 33 picks in the draft, plenty of cap space, and young talent, no team has the potential to be more active over the next week than the Cavaliers, who also hold the first overall pick in Thursday's draft. The team is at the subject of several rumors today, so let's round up the highlights….
- Previous reports have suggested that the Mavericks are looking to shed Shawn Marion's salary and have talked to the Cavaliers about a possible deal. However, sources tell ESPN.com's Marc Stein that while Cleveland is interested in Marion, the Mavs aren't necessarily eager to deal him, and Dallas hasn't had any trade discussions involving Marion.
- The Marion situation is an odd once, since the veteran forward still hasn't officially exercised his player option for next season, and would have to do so if he were to be traded this week. Marion has until Friday to make a decision on the option. I would guess if he's dealt, it will happen in July, when that option has already been picked up and teams like the Cavs will be able to absorb his salary in their cap space.
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio has different details on Marion than Stein's, writing that the Cavs have talked to Dallas about Marion and are debating whether or not they'd want to take on his salary. Based on where Stein and Amico are located, I'd guess Stein's sources are connected to the Mavs and Amico's to the Cavs, so there could be some level of posturing happening from those sources on one or both sides.
- At least ten teams have been in contact with the Cavs about the No. 1 pick, according to Amico, who says the Pelicans and Kings are among the most recent calls. Amico echoes what we've heard in the last several weeks, noting that Cleveland's asking price is high.
- According to Amico, the Cavs' talks with the Celtics about Paul Pierce aren't as serious as they've been portrayed elsewhere, and Cleveland's reported offer of the 31st and 33rd picks isn't necessarily "the entire truth."
- One team has inquired about Anderson Varejao, but the Cavs haven't been too receptive so far, says Amico.
- Amico also reports that the Cavs have talked to the Timberwolves about a draft trade, but that Cleveland isn't too keen on moving down to ninth — the Cavs would rather stay in the top five or six if they trade down.
- Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game wrote yesterday (via Sulia) that the Cavs have some level of interest in Luol Deng. Amico hears from sources that the Cavs "may have floated" the idea of a package that would include the No. 19 pick and a young player like Tyler Zeller.
- One general manager tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News that the Cavs haven't been "aggressively" shopping the first overall pick, but "it's been out there."
- According to Deveney, the Cavs figure to pursue power forwards in free agency, and one source says Earl Clark will be among the club's top targets.
Wolves Owner Talks Draft, Williams, Adelman
For much of the 2012/13 season, we heard that Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor was seeking a partner that could eventually assume control of the franchise. But after being unable to find an investor that would be a good fit and that would keep the team in Minnesota, Taylor has gone in the other direction, buying out the shares of six minority owners, as Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune writes.
Taylor also remains involved with the basketball side of things, staying in contact with head of basketball operations Flip Saunders about the upcoming draft and free agency. The Wolves owner spoke to Hartman about a number of topics of note, so let's round up his most interesting quotes….
On increasing his stake in the franchise by buying out minority owners:
"I was looking at bringing somebody else in to do that, and it never worked out. So I just had told the partners that wanted to sell out, that had been with me for about 18 years, that if they wanted to sell out that I would buy their stock. I had about half of them do that, the other half stayed in. I just left that option up to them. They made their decisions, and everybody is happy with how it worked out."
On trading up or down in the draft:
"Well, we’re willing to do that, and I know that Flip has talked to some teams. But it has to be that we could trade up to where we could get the exact player that we want to get. I don’t know if that is going to work out. But we’re looking at all options. We’re willing to trade up or trade down in order to land the players that we need."
On Taylor's involvement in the draft:
"Traditionally what I have done, and I’ve already talked to Flip about this, I’m going to come up about noon and we’ll go through all the scenarios, which we have already, we’ve gone through them. If there needs to be a contact for me to contact any owners, that’s the time I’ll do that, before the draft, just in case there’s some deals we want to get an agreement on. Then I’ll stay there in case there has to be a decision to either move up or down or sell a draft pick or to buy one."
On the possibility of trading Derrick Williams:
"There are teams that have called us and asked us if we are going to trade him, but I think that everybody saw the same thing that you saw, including the coach. Once we got him out on the floor and he had a chance to play, he started to play better. We have to remember that he still a very young man and a player that has a lot of potential. So we may trade somebody on our team, but it’s not going to be [him], unless it really would help our team."
On Rick Adelman's status:
"I think everything is going good. His wife [Mary Kay, who has been facing health issues] continues to make progress and she’s driving and getting back closer to a more normal way of living in every way. We assume that everything is going fine and Rick will be back."
Jazz Likely To Let Al Jefferson Walk?
A big offseason is set to get underway in Utah, where the Jazz have several key contributors headed for free agency, including Paul Millsap, Mo Williams, and Al Jefferson. While we haven't heard a whole lot about the team's plans for their free-agents-to-be, ESPN.com's Marc Stein says (via Twitter) there's a rising sense around the NBA that the Jazz will simply let Jefferson walk.
Responding to Stein's tweet, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld confirms (via Twitter) that he's hearing the same thing. In a second tweet, Kennedy adds that he heard shortly after the season ended that Jefferson was "packing his bags and expecting to walk elsewhere as a free agent."
While it may seem like poor asset management for the Jazz to let Jefferson walk in free agency without negotiating a sign-and-trade to get something in return, that's not necessarily the case. Unless Jefferson wants to go to an over-the-cap team, there's little incentive for him to agree to a sign-and-trade, since it could weaken the roster of the club with whom he lands.
Additionally, the Jazz would likely have to take on a good chunk of salary to make a sign-and-trade deal work, and the team may prefer to simply clear Jefferson's $16MM+ cap hold from their books and claim the cap space it creates.
Jefferson, 28, figures to be among the summer's most popular free agent targets. Given Andrew Bynum's health issues in 2012/13, Jefferson may have taken Bynum's place as the second-best center about to hit the open market.
Nuggets Make First-Round Pick Available
Although Andre Iguodala, Corey Brewer, and Timofey Mozgov are among the players the Nuggets could lose via free agency this summer, Denver isn't necessarily interested in adding a first-round prospect to shore up its rotation. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the Nuggets are happy with their young core and have made the No. 27 pick available. The team is interested in either landing a future first-rounder or moving back into the second round, says Wojnarowski.
With over $52MM in guaranteed salaries on their books for 2013/14, the Nuggets will be approaching tax territory if they're able to re-sign Iguodala and bring back Brewer and/or Mozgov, or add an outside free agent. Shedding the guaranteed salary that 27th overall pick would earn (likely $1.08MM) in favor of a non-guaranted contract for a second-rounder could give the club just a little more wiggle room.
One potential trade partner for the Nuggets could be the Cavs, who have been linked to a number of teams already this offseason. Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com reported recently that Cleveland would have interest in packaging their two second-round picks (31st and 33rd) for a late first-rounder, if the team sees a player they like slipping.
This isn't the first indication we've had that the Nuggets are open to moving their first-round pick in this week's draft. The team reportedly offered the pick to the Celtics in an effort to land Doc Rivers, but Rivers was uninterested in coaching in Denver.
Kyler On Paul, Pierce, Garnett, Bledsoe, Jordan
While replacing Vinny Del Negro with Doc Rivers on the bench may be worth a first-round draft pick on its own, the Clippers' decision to send the Celtics an unprotected 2015 pick was also closely tied to Chris Paul's future in Los Angeles. As Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld writes in today's NBA AM piece, the Clippers hiring Rivers virtually cements Paul re-signing long-term with the club when free agency begins next month.
The NBA still has to approve the Rivers transaction, but that shouldn't be a problem now that Kevin Garnett and other players aren't involved in the deal, so Kyler takes a look at the next steps for both the Celtics and Clippers once Doc officially changes addresses:
- The Cavaliers have expressed "serious interest" in acquiring Paul Pierce, but according to Kyler, they're offering a pair of early second-round picks, while the Celtics are reportedly seeking a first-rounder. Kyler echoes what we heard last night, suggesting that Boston isn't averse to keeping Pierce beyond June 30th, guaranteed his full $15MM+ salary, since the team still feels he could be traded for good value later on.
- According to Kyler, there have been reports indicating the Timberwolves have interest in re-acquiring Garnett. I'm not sure exactly which reports Kyler is referring to — Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 Twin Cities speculated about the idea earlier this month, but said his sources shot it down. And Adrian Wojnarowski indicated last night that a reunion between Garnett and the Wolves could happen eventually, but in an off-court, ownership capacity.
- In any case, Kyler points out that trading KG still makes sense for the Celtics, and with the NBA unlikely to approve a move to the Clippers, other suitors like the Wolves could get involved (though I think Minnesota is far from Garnett's likeliest destination).
- The Clippers have long been reluctant to move Eric Bledsoe until they can officially lock up Paul long-term. Now that CP3 appears to be a lock to re-sign, L.A. may begin shopping Bledsoe in earnest. According to Kyler, there has been no shortage of suitors with offers for the young point guard.
- Sources tell Kyler that the team isn't worried about bringing back DeAndre Jordan after he was at the center of trade rumors, feeling that Rivers will be able to mend that fence. However, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter), there's still a belief that Jordan will be moved. It may not happen right away though, as the Clippers take time to consider their options.
Nuggets Considering Brett Brown As Head Coach
After the Nuggets' bid to land Doc Rivers failed, the team will turn its attention to at least five other candidates for their head coaching opening. As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports, the latest contender to emerge for the job is Spurs assistant Brett Brown, who met with Nuggets CEO Josh Kroenke and GM Tim Connelly on Sunday. Brown is being considered a "serious candidate" for the position, according to Wojnarowski.
Brown is the fifth potential head coach to receive an interview with the Nuggets. Former Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins, Pacers assistant Brian Shaw, ex-Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro, and Nuggets assistant Melvin Hunt have also met with the team about the opening.
One Spurs assistant, Mike Budenholzer, has already landed a head coaching job this offseason, having been hired by the Hawks. With Budenholzer in Atlanta, Brown, who has served as an assistant under Gregg Popovich for seven years, is expected to become the top assistant on Popovich's staff, unless he lands the Nuggets job. Brown also acted as the head coach for the Australian national team at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Mavs, Raptors, Others Interested In Gal Mekel
After leading Maccabi Haifa to an upset win for the Israeli championship, Gal Mekel may be ticketed for an NBA roster this coming year. According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the list of NBA teams eyeing the Israeli point guard continues to grow, with the Raptors and Mavericks among the latest teams to show interest.
On the heels of what Stein's sources call an "eye-opening" workout with the Bucks, Mekel will audition for the Mavs today, according to Stein. It's not clear whether the 25-year-old has workouts lined up with the Raptors or any other team, but Stein says the Hawks, Pacers, and Grizzlies have also registered some level of interest. The Jazz, who invited Mekel to training camp last fall, continue to monitor his progress as well.
According to Stein, Mekel has begun to convince NBA talent evaluators that he could immediately produce as a rotation player, especially after Pablo Prigioni successfully made the leap to the Association last season after a career overseas. Mekel, a former Wichita State guard, averaged 13.3 PPG and 5.4 APG in Israel in 2012/13, earning league MVP honors for the second time in the last four years.
Odds & Ends: Celtics, Gentry, Cavaliers, Warriors
A few random notes from around the league:
- Now that his head coach for the past six years is with the Clippers, there's a growing belief Kevin Garnett will play at least one more season with the Celtics before retiring and joining his former coach, Flip Saunders, in a ceremonial ownership role with the Timberwolves, according to Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski.
- Also in that same report from Wojnarowski, the Celtics will likely hold onto Paul Pierce instead of waiving him before June 30th, with the hope that a team will offer a first-round pick for his services between now and the trade deadline.
- Former Suns head coach Alvin Gentry could join Doc Rivers' staff with the Clippers, according to a tweet from Wojnarowski. Gentry is also still a candidate to become head coach of the Grizzlies or an assistant with the Lakers.
- Hoopsworld.com's Jabari Davis lists six free agent possibilities for the Warriors to pursue this offseason.
- The Cavaliers aren't enamored with all the first overall pick has to offer, and they've considered trading it since the lottery. Cleveland.com's Mary Schmitt Boyer dives deep into some possibilities the team might have.
- If Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is selected before the Bucks make their first round pick (15th overall selection), the team could look to pick Jamaal Franklin, writes JournalTimes.com's Gery Woelfel.